An international academic journal, has just published an article written by NUIG researchers about the positive benefits of the Strengths Based Model that we use here every day in YAP. This article is based on the research project that NUIG conducted with YAP during 2019/2020.
The researchers speak positively about all the hard work that Advocates, Team Leaders and everyone who works within YAP do on a daily basis. In particular, the article draws attention to the avoidance of judgement and the focus on the strengths and positives of the young person and their family within the YAP model. The researchers highlight that the Strengths Based Model builds trust between young people, family members and YAP staff and helps inspire confidence in their abilities to progress and develop positively. This article also emphasises that this approach leads to the talents and abilities of young people and their families being identified and built upon, thereby placing the development of young people’s resilience and self-esteem as a priority.
We can hear the voices of YAP’s Young People, Parents, Advocates and Team Leaders interwoven throughout the article.
Here are some quotes that feature in the article:
What you find is that families have all these supports around them, professional supports around them, and everybody is focusing on the negatives. So, it’s really refreshing for somebody like us to come in and just focus on positives. And there are positives, but they cannot see them; they are in such a dark place that they just need someone to kind of bring them out of that. (Advocate, Case Study 9)
Focusing on the positives lights up [young person]. They receive so much negativity and bad news that they cannot see the good sides. An Advocate can take the time to do this with them. (Parent, Case Study 4)
I thought it was just going to be someone coming down and talking, telling me. But it was all about what you think will work. Like what kind of things have worked well in the past … How you managed things before. It all revolved around you. (Young person, Case Study 2)
Everything boils down to what’s working … we find little pieces of success in the day, the hour, the week … whatever it takes and then we bounce from there. We emphasize that, we tease out how and why it worked and apply that same approach to other areas of their day. (Team leader, Case Study 4)
(Please note, in keeping with research ethics guidelines all quotes in this research article are anonymised).
This international journal is read by researchers who work in the social care field as well as social workers and policymakers across the globe.
We are very proud of this work and the positive outcomes of the YAP model that it exhibits and congratulate the research team on the publication.
